


The beginning

by GreenerPastures



Category: Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020), Joker (2019)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2020-02-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:21:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22918393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreenerPastures/pseuds/GreenerPastures
Summary: Joker meets Harleen the shrink
Relationships: Joker (DCU)/Harleen Quinzel
Kudos: 15





	The beginning

The beginning 

It’s that day in the year again. Fucking V Day they call it. 

We broke up a while ago, me and Mr J. Since I burnt that one hell of a chemical factory down to show the world we are done for good this time. Over. Full stop. Whatever you call it. But you know, this day does damn things to your brain. Refreshing all those memories yea? 

True to all exes, I hate him, hate him so much. But I loved him very much too, that’s a sad fact. You know those fucked up romance you run into once in a fucking life? It’s a train wreck I would reassure you. Fucking deadly, but a blast. 

I’m slurring again, is that the fifth shot or the tenth you are handing me? I’ve lost count, but let’s start from the beginning. That moment when we first met. That psychiatric hospital where the walls were all white, and where crazy people running along corridors laughing at nothing. 

Some people may be intimidated by all those, but not me. Not even when Mr J killed that string he saw before I was sent in. I was not afraid, I was thrilled - they saw me as the best candidate they could get, the last hope to get some sense into that mentally deranged “joker” who was causing riots all over the city. 

What a joke, really. But man, wasn’t I thrilled. I was the best of the best, still am, really. 

You know what’s the first quality you need as a shrink? You need to listen, to listen so carefully. Not to put up all those pretense, but listen with both ears open, with an open mind. The one thing you should’t do? Judge. That’s the damn thing that stupid shrink before me did that cost her life. I have not an ounce of sympathy for her, not a penny. 

So when he walked into the room with his hands handcuffed behind his back, I asked those security to release him. I swear those big guys were looking at me like I was the crazy one, not Mr J. They did nothing but stare until I repeated my demand. 

When they released him, they fled the room like it was a fucking gas chamber. Mr J looked at me like I was an interesting butterfly flapping pretty wings in front of him, mildly curious but barely attentive. 

That was before I extended my hand as in invitation. “Good afternoon Mr Joker, I’m Harleen Quinzel. Nice to meet you.”

Now I finally had his attention. “What’s so nice about this? And for the record, no one calls me Mister. Mister Joker? Ha ha,” he slumped on the chair opposite mine, head tilted, ignoring my hand and eyelids half closed. Yet another shrink he should blatantly ignore, may be that’s what he was thinking. 

“Because you are the one joker Mister. The real one. Not those tens of thousands copy cats wearing clown masks out in the streets.”

“Is there any difference? I am joker. Everyone else is joker when they want to be. I ain’t nothing but a painted face, an image, a slogan. They can put a gun to my head and phew,” he said with his hand gun point at his temple, “I’m done. But they can never kill Joker. Not in a million years. I am larger than life, invincible, I live a thousand lives, but not you. Don’t you think so, Miss Har-leen?” 

Now now, his eyes were fully fixed on me and his lips turned up, forming half of his trademark smile. Another woman would have been paralyzed, but not me. 

“I get you point, but I will still call you Mister. Call me old fashioned or anything, but I show respect to my clients. Only when I earn your respect, we can call each other on first name basis. Does that sound good to you?” 

He stared at me with a smirk, didn’t bother with an answer. I took that as a yes, ever the optimist, you know me. 

“Now now, I am not here to talk about myself. Can you tell me something about yourself, so we can understand more about each other?” 

His lips turned into a frown, a fake one though, his eyes were still smiling. 

“No, no, Miss Har-leen,” he cuckooed, pronouncing my name with an accent like it’s a foreign name, like Chinese. “I ain’t gonna tell ya same old story. Why don’t you read the papers? They should know better than me. Listen to me, Miss Har-leen, why don’t you talk about you self? I love to hear about that.”

“Me? You don’t want my story, it’s boring.” 

“No, no, no. Don’t do that. I want to listen to it, and I judge myself if it’s boring. You know the thing about jokes? Those listen to it judge they are funny or not.” 

Not wanting to get on his nerves, I decided to give it a try. I don’t like to talk about myself, but I would try for him. He was THE joker. I guess it says something. 

“So, I’m Harleen Quinzel. I am 27, and I am a psychologist. To be exact, senior psychologist at this place. I’ve worked here for two years now.” 

“A ha.” 

“I’ve studied a PhD in psychology before I started this job, spent a lot of years and money too, not sure if it’s worth it you know.” 

“I hate school.” 

“So do I. I did that to make a living, I guess, and I can’t make a living being a comedian. I’m not funny enough.” I did my homework. 

“Aha.” Still no reaction whatsoever. 

“I told you it would be boring. Talking about myself.”

“No, no, no. Don’t give me that shit,” he said in that high pitched voice again, sounding without a care and that he has all the time in this world. “I don’t want your CV. I want to hear a story, and you haven’t even started.” 

This time it was me staring at him.

“I know that about you, Har-leen. I know you have a story, and you haven’t told no one before. It’s in you eyes. Your way of talking. Getting off those cuffs so as to shake me damn hands. You, are different. Try me.” 

There was no malice, no joke in his eyes. He was sitting there, feet tapping a random beat, waiting and not waiting. It was comfortable silence, with this psycho just opposite me. My mouth ran dry. I swallowed, and looked at him again. Really looked.

Then I told him about my father, who dumped me endless times and saw me crawling back every single time. Like a particularly annoying fly. 

He didn’t laugh. He listened till I finished, smiled, stood up and extended his hand. 

“Nice to meet you, Har-leen. I think I’m getting to know you. Like an old pal.”

I smiled and took his hand. If my heart was beating a little faster, I didn’t realize it.


End file.
